President Duda of Poland’s announcement that his country is willing to host Nato nuclear weapons has prompted a threat of retaliation from the Kremlin, once more raising the spectre of nuclear war.
However, after a prolonged delay in providing some $60 billion in military aid to Kyiv was only unblocked this weekend, Russia has the initiative on the battlefield in Ukraine and therefore less need to resort to using a tactical nuclear weapon.
Last summer, as the Ukrainian counteroffensive got under way and President Putin’s land bridge to Crimea was threatened, there had been speculation that President Putin may have begun to think seriously about a limited nuclear strike to achieve victory or prevent a crushing defeat that could undermine his grip on power.
Yet
